Many patients are surprised that my cognitive therapy
sessions don’t involve logic puzzles or crosswords. With me, cognitive therapy looks a lot more
like intentional planning for daily life.
Most of the time, the “strategies” I suggest to my patients are
practical habits such as repeating new information to themselves, using
reminders in their environment, or making sure to double- and triple-check
their work. “But I already do those
things,” they protest.
“Of course,” I reply, “these are normal ways of learning and
remembering. But as your body and your
brain are healing, you may find you have to be more intentional about doing
things that once came naturally or automatically to you.”
Maybe the same is true for soul-healing.
A few days ago, during a therapy session, as I had yet
another conversation with a patient about intentionality, I felt a small tug at
my heart—this idea that brain-healing and soul-healing may have some common
threads. As I write this reflection, the
idea is still a seedling. I’m eager for
it to grow.
Intellectually, I know the basics of living well. I have a routine of work, rest, nourishment,
exercise, and creativity. I pray daily,
give thanks, and regularly receive the Eucharist. I try to love God, others, and myself, and to
receive love graciously.
But sometimes
my soul feels a little broken. Like my
mind and my heart aren’t in sync. I find
love difficult to receive, I resent the quirks of my loved ones, my mood
fluctuates, and prayer seems hollow. I
have difficulty trusting myself and trusting God. Sometimes there’s an easily identified event
that started all the trouble; but sometimes, for no reason at all, my spiritual
life just seems… off.
In these circumstances, my usual routine doesn’t come
naturally anymore. I overwork and forget
to rest, I feel too exhausted to exercise, or I find myself too restless to be
creative or pray.
Perhaps the way back to my healthy rhythm is through
intentionality. Just like my patients
after a brain injury, maybe I too need to be more intentional about doing the
things I know make me well. For me, this
involves planning good meals and times for exercise, reading Scripture and
nourishing my spirit, practicing self-love and love of others, reminding myself that there is always hope. Things that don’t come so naturally in a time
of soul-healing.
I often encourage my patients to use visual (and auditory)
reminders: calendars, signs, phone
alarms, etc. Maybe I need to start
peppering my own environment with reminders to breathe, rest, and trust. I also encourage them to repeat important
information to themselves. Maybe a
positive mantra or two would not go amiss in my own life, something to repeat
over and over again so I remember it when I need it most. Something like “I am loved” or simply “trust”.
The next time I’m feeling “off”, I’m going to try to listen
to my own advice: be intentional.
*
For my fellow speech therapists, or anyone who needs a
handout for intentional memory strategies, here is a little freebie: a handout of memory strategies following the
acronym “RAG” (it stands for Repetition, Association, and Give yourself
reminders). The file is a PDF with four
versions for varying patient needs:
~a simple version, words only
~words only with explanations
~a simple version with picture explanations
~a picture version for patients who can’t read
Click here to view and download the handout--feel free to print and use in your practice or share with loved ones and friends who could use it.
I hope you find this handout useful in your practice. I have also posted it in the Speech Therapy
tab under Handouts for future reference.
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